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Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

Things just seem to being getting worse and worse with Crean. He reminds me a bit of my high school coach, who I deem to be the worst coach ever, which is sad cause I have had some terrible coaches. The way he handled the old regimes players when he took over rubbed me the wrong way. He really seemed to be looking for any reason possible to get rid of them instead of trying to work with them, and correct any behavioral/academic issues. Last years team had too much talent to not get to the final four, not getting to the Elite Eight was an utter failure. While I haven't paid as much attention to IU basketball since he took over as I did before (partially because I couldn't watch the games at college) when I have watched them, I have been thoroughly unimpressed with his coaching and the style of ball they play.

This is where I lose IU fans. Really not getting to the elite 8 utter failure? Jeez. Like Dean Smith use to say the best team rarely wins in tournament play you must get very very lucky.

Crean isn't as bad as IU fans make him out to be. He is a solid coach and IU is lucky to have him, but elite program fans have un real expectations.

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

This is where I lose IU fans. Really not getting to the elite 8 utter failure? Jeez. Like Dean Smith use to say the best team rarely wins in tournament play you must get very very lucky.

Crean isn't as bad as IU fans make him out to be. He is a solid coach and IU is lucky to have him, but elite program fans have un real expectations.

Our fanbase is starving for a national championship. Last year we had a real chance and we blew it. It happens, but I think a lot of our fans have been much harder on Crean since that debacle last March. I think I told you this awhile back, but a lot of IU basketball fans are just batshit crazy.

Crean is an average coach. To win in the Big Ten with the youth IU has, you need to be better than average.

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

This is where I lose IU fans. Really not getting to the elite 8 utter failure? Jeez. Like Dean Smith use to say the best team rarely wins in tournament play you must get very very lucky.

Crean isn't as bad as IU fans make him out to be. He is a solid coach and IU is lucky to have him, but elite program fans have un real expectations.

He's solid as aspects of being a head coach--but when the games come down to chess matches and adjustments, he is going to lose more often than not. He's not a horrible coach, but you aren't winning a national title with him. Good coaches consistently coach circles around him. This is where he constantly gets exposed. This is why our expectations aren't "unreal". We want to win a national title. He won't get it done.

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

This is where I lose IU fans. Really not getting to the elite 8 utter failure? Jeez. Like Dean Smith use to say the best team rarely wins in tournament play you must get very very lucky.

Crean isn't as bad as IU fans make him out to be. He is a solid coach and IU is lucky to have him, but elite program fans have un real expectations.

We had 2 of the top 4 picks and couldn't even make it to the Elite 8. That's bad. Sure, it would be a bit much to say that we had to win the championship in order for the season to be a success. But a team with that talent should get to the Final 4. At the very very least, we should have gone to the Elite 8.

Syracuse was obviously a good well-coached team. It would have been one thing if we competed hard in that game and lost in the final seconds. Then you could at least contribute it to the unpredictability of March Madness. But we were completely manhandled in that game from start to finish. A better coach wouldn't have allowed that to happen.

Sure, succeeding in the tournament in any one year can be hard because of the unpredictability. But over a period of time, the best coaches have a pattern of tournament success on their resume'. Pitino, Cal, Coach K, Izzo, Boeheim, etc. Crean went to the one Final Four in 2003, but he has never even made an Elite 8 without D-Wade. He obviously gets a pass for the first several years at Indiana because he was rebuilding the program from scratch, but it's time to see some tournament results.

Crean is a good coach from the standpoint of reigniting fire into the program, giving it legitimacy again, and selling it to recruits. But from an X's and O's standpoint, IU is probably going to need someone else to take them on a deep tournament run. The problem is that Crean is under contract through like 2020. There was no need to give him that two year extension a couple years back.

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

Wanting to win the championship is unreal? We aren't talking about Anderson University here, we are talking about a 5 time NCAA Champion Indiana University. Success is expected.

If you want to say winning a championship or bust then yes that is unreal expectations IMO for NCAA mens basketball.(the only program who should have that type of expectation every year is UCONN womens basketball) The goal should be to be able to compete for the big 10 regular season title year in and year out. That is more realistic not as much luck is factored in that.

You have to give Crean a break this year there is really no way to replace Zeller, Oladpio and Watford and Hulls. I think realistically most knew this would be a retooling year.

This is just like Pacer fans who say title or bust(although less luck is factored in a NBA championship due to series)

All you can ask for is to be title contenders and that is what the Pacers are(then hopefully everything clicks and you stay healthy throughout the playoffs).

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

If you want to say winning a championship or bust then yes that is unreal expectations IMO for NCAA mens basketball.(the only program who should have that type of expectation every year is UCONN womens basketball) The goal should be to be able to compete for the big 10 regular season title year in and year out. That is more realistic not as much luck is factored in that.

You have to give Crean a break this year there is really no way to replace Zeller, Oladpio and Watford and Hulls. I think realistically most knew this would be a retooling year.

This is just like Pacer fans who say title or bust(although less luck is factored in a NBA championship due to series)

All you can ask for is to be title contenders and that is what the Pacers are(then hopefully everything clicks and you stay healthy throughout the playoffs).

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

Good programs don't have wild swings in performance year to year. Look at Kansas, Duke, Florida, Louisville, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Butler, etc.... year in and year out they are pretty gamn good with only a couple of outlier seasons here and there.

Until IU gets a good coach we will be a second rate program and the Sweet Sixteen will be our ceiling. Not acceptable!

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

If you want to say winning a championship or bust then yes that is unreal expectations IMO for NCAA mens basketball.(the only program who should have that type of expectation every year is UCONN womens basketball) The goal should be to be able to compete for the big 10 regular season title year in and year out. That is more realistic not as much luck is factored in that.

You have to give Crean a break this year there is really no way to replace Zeller, Oladpio and Watford and Hulls. I think realistically most knew this would be a retooling year.

This is just like Pacer fans who say title or bust(although less luck is factored in a NBA championship due to series)

All you can ask for is to be title contenders and that is what the Pacers are(then hopefully everything clicks and you stay healthy throughout the playoffs).

I agree with the NCAA stuff, but completely disagree with the Pacers talk. Obviously you need to stay healthy, that's a given, but if we don't win the title this year, and probably for the next few years assuming we keep Lance, that's a disappointment. Doesn't mean if we win 64 games and get knocked out in the ECF or Finals it's a "bad season" or something, but it's a failure. When you're a top tier team, which we obviously are, and you don't win it all that's a failure.

I don't really like playing this angle, but if we don't win it all this year I guarantee every single Pacer would admit that they're pissed if you got em in private.

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

I agree with the NCAA stuff, but completely disagree with the Pacers talk. Obviously you need to stay healthy, that's a given, but if we don't win the title this year, and probably for the next few years assuming we keep Lance, that's a disappointment. Doesn't mean if we win 64 games and get knocked out in the ECF or Finals it's a "bad season" or something, but it's a failure. When you're a top tier team, which we obviously are, and you don't win it all that's a failure.

I don't really like playing this angle, but if we don't win it all this year I guarantee every single Pacer would admit that they're pissed if you got em in private.

The issue is there are 5 or so teams each year in that boat. There is only one champion I mean winning it all is really difficult you need to be a great team and have a lot go right. I just can't agree with that. I mean if we stay healthy and keep this core together we should get one(but really even that isnt a guarantee). So many great teams never won a championship it is just a really hard thing to do.

EDIT: Really all you can ask for IMO is to be one of those 5 teams, and this year we clearly are.

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

The issue is there are 5 or so teams each year in that boat. There is only one champion I mean winning it all is really difficult you need to be a great team and have a lot go right. I just can't agree with that. I mean if we stay healthy and keep this core together we should get one(but really even that isnt a guarantee). So many great teams never won a championship it is just a really hard thing to do.

EDIT: Really all you can ask for IMO is to be one of those 5 teams, and this year we clearly are.

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

Yeah, the last 5-10 rows in the lower level all have the balcony obstructing the scoreboard. The entire balcony feels like you are experiencing vertigo for the duration of the experience. The angles on most seats are just bad.

i normally sit beneath the balcony in the middle about row 29 or so. but years ago for a concert, i sat 2nd to last row beneath it and that slope gets very bad up there. throw in the fact it was dark and hard to see your way around and it was downright scary.